July 13-19 2014
Pitch
Perfect Even after 18 years in the field, Afridi’s still got game
July 13-19 2014
Comment
The French carrousel
Cover Story
Karachi gets a taste of French cinema at Alliance franรงaise de Karachi
Pitch Perfect Even after 18 years in the field, Afridi remains a favourite for fans and critics alike
34
Feature
Virtual Drive Students gear towards safety at the first computerised driving school in Peshawar
24
4
32 Regulars
6 People & Parties: Out and about with beautiful people
38 Reviews: TV, movies and books 42 Astronomy: Discovery of new planets
Magazine In-charge: Sarah Munir, Senior Subeditor: Dilaira Dubash & Subeditor: Mifrah Haq Creative Team: Amna Iqbal, Essa Malik, Jamal Khurshid, Samra Aamir, Munira Abbas, Omer Asim, Sanober Ahmed & Talha Ahmed Khan Publisher: Bilal A Lakhani. Executive Editor: Muhammad Ziauddin. Editor: Kamal Siddiqi For feedback and submissions: magazine@tribune.com.pk Twitter: @ETribuneMag & Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ETribuneMag Printed: uniprint@unigraph.com
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Turkish fashion label SARAR opens its outlet at Dolmen Mall Clifton, Karachi
PhoToS CouRTESy KAShIf-uD-DIn
Shabina Rahman and Farhat Pervez
Samya and Talha
an Amina Rashid Kh ey rn Bu ha Ma d an
Sameer Pervez Hussain and Maha Ahmad
Amir Butt, Mahjabeen Obaid and their children
6 JULY 13-19 2014
PEOPLE & PARTIES
PhoToS CouRTESy KAShIf-uD-DIn
Zarmene and Komal Malik
Hasan Rizvi and Hina
Anoushey Ashraf
Zoya Mehmood
Lalarukh and Sana Obaid
Farah Karim and Khush Pasha
8 JULY 13-19 2014
PEOPLE & PARTIES
house of Pasha launches their women’s collection, noor, in Lahore
Zahra and Zainab
PhoToS CouRTESy DRAgonfLy
Sahar and Nilfoer Shahid
Mariam Mushtaq Anum and Zara
Zarmineh
Mashal Moazzam and Amani
10 JULY 13-19 2014
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Rabbiya Usman, Aashi and Zahra Muneeb
PhoToS CouRTESy DRAgonfLy
Zarmene and Komal Malik
Areeba Magsi
Zohra
Mehvish Gurmani
12 JULY 13-19 2014
Mikail and Nadira
PEOPLE & PARTIES
The Sanat Initiative launches its first artist-in-residence programme called Incubator
Faheem Abbas
PhoToS CouRTESy SALMAn foTogRAPhy
Zubaida Tariq
Abid Aslam, Arsalan Nasir, Ghulam Mohammad, Kiran Saleem, Rohail Ghouri, Sajid Khan and Zahra Asim
Abeera Khan
Alia
Amin Guljee with Rana Asif
14 JULY 13-19 2014
COVER STORY
Despite all his ups and downs,
Afridi maintains his iron grip
on fanfare and stardom BY EMMAD HAMEED DESIGN BY ZEHRA HASSAN
The cruel thing about stardom is that it doesn’t last for too long. Not unless, you are Shahid Khan Afridi, of course. The 34-year-old wonder boy from Khyber Agency has been in the headlines ever since he set foot on the cricketing pitch in 1996. While sometimes it has been an unbelievably powerful innings that catapulted him into the limelight, at others it was a reckless remark that created waves. But the fact remains that despite being in the field for over 18 years now, the Pathan powerhouse still continues to surprise, agitate, impress and baffle fans and critics alike. A man of his word These days Afridi is back in the news with his latest venture, to set up the Shahid Afridi Foundation (SAF). “I have been working on this project for a long time; I firmly believe that I have to make a contribution for the betterment of the society, especially in education and health,” said the star cricketer who can never be accused of doing anything PHOTO COURTESY: ARIF SOOMRO
COVER STORY half-heartedly. “I think I owe this to the country, considering the love, affection and the stardom that I have received from its people.” The foundation was officially launched recently in Karachi and Afridi stunned the audience present at the occasion with a passionate impromptu account of the abysmal poverty in his ancestral village and how that helplessness transformed children into easy targets for violence. “In the cities we live like kings. Trust me when you travel to the villages in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) you realise what hardships are all about,” he said. “The children there have nothing to do, no education, no sport to play; they are extremely gullible and are soft targets for recruiters hunting for suicide bombers.” A firm believer in the adage ‘charity begins at home’, Afridi has built a 16-bed maternity hospital for the women in Tangi Banda village in KPK. Plans to set up similar facilities in the adjoining areas are also in the pipeline. Surprisingly, when it comes to the things he loves, especially the foundation, Afridi’s trademark ineloquence suddenly disappears. The man puts his money where his mouth is and it doesn’t take a genius to figure that. He recounts a recent trip to his village where he saw a young boy climbing down the mountain with his mother. As the child got nearer, Afridi saw that he wasn’t wearing slippers and his feet were bleeding. “I almost choked and thought of my young children. The young boy couldn’t even explain why he was barefoot.” It was the desire to help other struggling villagers like the young boy that motivated him to go ahead with the foundation. ‘Hope-Not Out’ — the tagline f0r the SAF is as fitting of the organisation as it is of the mercurial cricketer himself. For 18 years, the hot-blooded all-rounder has religiously followed his instincts over rationality. While in some instances this has led to outlandishly admirable feats such as his monumental ODI century in his first ever innings in Pakistan colours, at others he
found himself in the midst of brazenly bizarre situations such as the ball-biting incident in Perth during the disastrous 2010 tour. “I have been criticised for my instinctive play but I am happy that I have maintained my style,” he admits in the true mannerism of a man who is the master of his own technique. “When it comes off, it looks great. Yet, I also admit that I have looked very silly at times, but that’s how it is.” The swashbuckling Afridi stole the show with his pulsating innings against India and Bangladesh in the recent Asia Cup that took place earlier this year. His crucial nervewracking performance silenced critics once again especially after he drowned the arch rivals with the twin last over sixes. Even the high-pressure atmosphere at Dhaka’s Mirpur stadium became inconsequential, as Afridi had chosen it to be his day. “I did nothing differently [then what I did in] the India game. After Ajmal’s dismissal, I had no choice but to go all out and luckily the two shots carried over the ropes,” he said sporting a broad smile.
The person behind the persona Boom Boom’s whirlwind approach is not only reflected in his on-field performances but also in his personal life. The cricketer travels far and frequently between Karachi, Dubai and London but rushes home at the
(Above) An aerial view of the Sahibzada Fazl ur Rehman Memorial Charity Hospital set up by the Shahid Afridi Foundation in the Tangi Banda village. PHOTO COURTESY: SHAHID AFRIDI FOUNDATION
My comments were taken out of context. I have since explained many times that I am a great supporter of our women cricket team, you can ask any player. I have always encouraged them and given them tips (Below) The 16-bed maternity hospital set up by the Shahid Afridi Foundation in his ancestral village is expected to cater to a large number of women in the area. PHOTO COURTESY: SHAHID AFRIDI FOUNDATION
earliest to spend time with his daughters, like any other father. “I can’t stay away from my daughters for long. When I reach home and see them rush towards me, it makes my existence so much more worthwhile,” he shared. “All of a sudden the stress from a long journey or cricket tour disappears altogether.” Even though Afridi tied the knot 14 years ago, family life and commitments have barely subdued the thrill-seeking teenager within him. He still enjoys tormenting opposing batsmen and bowlers with his surprising moves on the pitch and loves whizzing around in sports cars and on bikes. “I drive fast but I don’t violate traffic rules. Pushing the accelerator and clocking high speeds is at times as thrilling as hitting big sixes.” And wherever he goes, the camera tends to follow. The days are an endless series of signing autographs and posing in front of flashing cameras. The restless Afridi can be extremely impatient at times, especially with those pleading for pictures. “Eik tasweer khench li na aap ne, yehi kaafi hai. Shakal thori badal jaye gee aap key ya meri agli tasveer mein.” (One picture should be enough, our faces are not going to change in the next one) But if the fan is of the opposite sex and has made an impression on the cricketing powerhouse, the camera can click endlessly. “Of course, like most men I admire and respect beauty too,” he candidly admitted. Recently though his comments about the need for female cricketers to stay indoors landed him in hot water. “My comments were taken out of context,” he said, defending his stance. “I have since explained many times that I am a great supporter of our women cricket team. You can ask any 27 JULY 13-19 2014
Boom Boom’s erratic techniques have landed him much applause and criticism over the years. PHOTO CREDIT: AFP
player, I have always encouraged them and given [coaching] tips.” If you spend enough time with the man, you may even get a glimpse of instances when the superstar overshadows the small-town boy. Afridi’s mood swings are a regular occurrence and even the most harmless comments can offend him at times. But the calm reappears almost as quickly as it is lost and he will listen to you with undivided attention the very next moment. But one must always remember that the moment the conversation turns to his batting approach, he will retort with his signature unflinching gusto. “Bache apna kaam karo, aur mujhe mera karne do.” (Please concentrate on your work and let me do mine). Hence, it is ironic that it was the advice from bowling coach Mohammed Akram that led to the recent resurgence of Boom Boom’s pyrotechnics with the bat.
He’s got game Along with kickstarting the foundation, Afridi has also been busy expanding his restaurant chain, Splice in several cities. But for the next eight months, all his energy is focused on conquering the pitch at the 2015 World Cup scheduled to take place in Australia and New Zealand. “The next few months are of immense importance. This might be a clichéd thing to say but I can’t emphasise enough how much I want to deliver at the world stage.” The team’s defeat to India in the 2011 edition still haunts 28 Afridi, who was the captain of the team at the time. JULY 13-19 2014
I have been criticised for my instinctive play but I am happy that I have maintained my style. When it comes off, it looks great. Yet I also admit that I have looked very silly at times (Below) Afridi hopes to uplift the voiceless and marginalised through his foundation’s charity initiatives. PHOTO COURTESY: SHAHID AFRIDI FOUNDATION
“We were on the verge of winning the World Cup,” he said. “The Mohali loss is one of the biggest regrets of my career, but 2015 is another opportunity and we must remain optimistic.” But remaining optimistic about a side as unpredictable as Pakistan is a tough task. While the team has gelled well under Misbahul Haq in the 50 — overs format, other than a few bilateral series wins, it has failed to deliver in a multination tournament since annexing the Asia Cup trophy two years ago. Therefore, captaincy for the World Cup is once again a hotly-debated topic. Afridi, who has made himself available for the job, is keen to emphasise that his prime interest is to help win the tournament. “It is indeed an honour to lead the national team, yet it doesn’t mean that I am running after the captain’s arm band,” he elaborated. “Whoever leads the team will have my complete support. Even under Misbah, I gave it my all and will continue to do so.” And if the men in green replicate the heroics of Imran Khan’s cornered tigers, Afridi hints that the global extravaganza might be his swan song. If that proves to be the case, the similarities between Khan and Afridi are too many to brush aside. Nearly 22 years ago, Khan was vehemently campaigning for his cancer hospital and desperately needed the World Cup victory feather in his cap at the same venue. Today, another Pathan, who has arguably even outdone the great Khan in popularity has a chain of hospitals to build too but desperately wants to claim a home run before he embarks on that journey fullthrottle. Regardless of how the story culminates, Shahid Afridi may the force be with you. T The writer is an editorial consultant at The Express Tribune. He tweets @Emmad81
The next few months are of immense importance. This might be a clichéd thing to say but I can’t emphasise enough on how much I want to deliver at the world stage
Afridi’s sole aim at the moment is to bag a win for the home team in the 2015 World Cup. PHOTO CREDIT: SHAFIQ MALIK
Photo courtesy: traffic Police Driving school, Peshawar cantt
Virtual Drive At the computerised driving school in Peshawar students must keep their eyes on the screen By Fazal GIlaNI DesIGN By saNoBer ahmeD
32 July 13-19 2014
In Islamabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi the Suzuki FX is seen on the roads as the ideal taxi due to its efficient fuel consumption, but in Peshawar the car serves a different purpose. Parked inside a small room before a wide screen, with overhead projectors, the 1982 model has taken on the role of teaching people how to drive at a safe distance from the road. the fully computerised driving system at the traffic Police Driving school Peshawar cantt, established on December 12, 2008, by the traffic police, is the first of its kind. it was initially proposed by senior superintendent of Police (ssP) traffic, Muhammad Jaffer Khan, who used his own resources to set up the school that would allow learners to emerge as better drivers, making his job easier. the enterprising idea elicited support from everyone and the hired staff of seven graduates received basic training for rules on the road from the Motorway Police academy, sheikhupura. although the school was initially working without a simulator, it was soon arranged for and entirely funded by the traffic Police Peshawar. “[now] we have a computerised training system as per foreign [standards], it’s called a Driving fX simulator and costs around rs230,000,” says traffic police inspector and head of the driving school, ejaz Khan, adding that engineers from Karachi completed the installations. sort of like attending a computer class at school, students here find themselves seated in the front seat of a car and staring at a large screen. they are comparatively less nervous than they would be if they were driving on the roads, confronted with the actual threat of ramming into a minibus
or a car while parallel parking. as the seasons on the screen before them switch between winter and summer, they must maneuver the four-wheeler attached to 3D projectors, to reach their destination safely. the simulator poses real-life challenges — things every resident in Peshawar should be wary of. students must be alert at all times in case a suicide bomber threateningly stops before their car. along with accidents, they are taught how to react in multiple life-threatening situations, prioritising their safety above all. the programme has consequently become quite popular among students. “students approach us with enthusiasm and passion which shows their interest towards learning how to drive [based on simulation],” says instructor Mian Kashif. “they are doing great at the school and after [completing their course] they get their driving licenses as well.” each batch comprises around 70 to 80 students out of which 15 to 20 are females. for rs3,500, they gain a well-rounded learning experience that encompasses theory as well as practical learning. the course lasts 21 days, excluding government holidays, and the students are divided into two shifts throughout the day, the first lasting for 8am to 12pm and the second from 2pm to 5pm. once they complete the course and clear the tests, they put their acquired knowledge and skills to test on the roads. “training [via] stimulator is just as if you are playing a video game that looks almost real. i think it is a good [way to] learn driving before one can take [their] car [out] on the roads without knowing how to drive it,” says ayub, a student at the school. according to him parents feel secure knowing that their children are learning how to drive in a safe environment. so far, nearly 4,000 students have emerged as certified drivers from the school and the numbers are only multiplying. “the increasing rate at which students are joining the school every month shows that they are interested in learning stimulation-based driving,” says Khan, adding that those who leave the school recommend it to others. students who come to him from all over Pakistan agree that this virtual driving lesson even prepares them for unexpected dangers on the road. Khan has also trained students on the manual car, but feels particularly proud to be a part of this programme. owing to its success, the school has even opened up a second branch in phase 5, Principal road, hayatabad. But its actual triumph can be gauged by the increase in responsible driving in Peshawar which has been the programme’s mission since inception. Fazal Gilani is a freelance journalist and former news reporter. He tweets @Gilaniism July 13-19 2014
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COMMENT
The golden era of French cinema is relived at Alliance française de Karachi
In sultry June when schools are closed and Karachi’s elite usually head for cooler climes and greener pastures, the Alliance française de Karachi screened a number of French film classics, produced before 1950, for the classic cinema buffs who were left behind. Some of the films were made before World War II, some during the conflict and a couple after peace had been restored. Each had its own special ambience and private message. For the enthusiast who was weaned on the celluloid magic of Carne, Renoir and Pagnol, this was a real treat — a high point in entertainment and a journey into the rich cultural past of one of the world’s most civilised countries. For years France has been a recognised leader in haute couture, the world of fragrance, the plastic arts, cuisine and wines. To this list I would add motion pictures, specially the films of Jean Renoir, Marcel Carne, Marcel Pagnol, Jean Vigo, Luis Bunuel and Rene Clair. Their collective brilliance was an essential part of the golden age of French cinema. I would also like to include Max Ophuls who, along with two dozen actors and directors, fled Germany to escape persecution from the Nazis. One of the Jewish actors, who fled from Berlin to Paris and eventually to Hollywood, was Peter Lorre, the actor with the sinister baby face and whiningly caressing voice. He was the quintessential creepy menacing foreigner who just couldn’t be trusted. The films that had been selected for the festival were distinguished, among other qualities, for their sheer literacy. Marcel Carne had five films, of which Les enfants du paradis (1945) is the most outstanding. Around 600 critics voted it
The French carrousel BY ANWER MOORAJ DESIGN BY MARIUM ALI
34 July 13-19 2014
COMMENT the greatest film ever made. This classic, which was made in 1944 during the German occupation of France, has a curious history. Starring Jean-Louis Barrault, Pierre Brasseur and Arletty, it was essentially a tribute to theatre and the indomitable French spirit. The movie took over two years to complete because of Nazi sabotage, the arrest of cast members, the need for secrecy and Carne’s determination to show his epic creation in a free France. Carne’s other films, Hôtel du Nord (1938), Quai des brumes (1938) and Le Jour Se Lève (1939) that were shown are slow, brooding, introspective studies of decent people, inexorably drawn to destruction by fate. Both are metaphysical and highly demoralising classical film noire at its most eloquent, and an excursion in gloomy studio realism. Hôtel du Nord is about a suicide pact between a man and a woman, where the man shoots his companion but loses the nerve to take his own life. Curiously enough, it was Quai des brumes, the tale of a trapped army deserter and the most infamous example of poetic fatalism that was held responsible by certain high-ups in the Vichy government for capitulation to the Nazis. Carne retorted to this accusation by stating that, “The storm was not the fault of the barometer.” Many French directors worked in the poetic realist style. Of these Jean Renoir was the most influential. After a somewhat erratic silent career, he matured into a genuine artist of cinema with the coming of sound. One of his most famous quotes is, “I am not a director. I am a storyteller.” La grande illusion (1937) and La règle du jeu (1939) created waves around the world when they first surfaced. Illusion makes the point that war is futile. It also contains scenes in which a French officer and a German widow are involved in a romantic affair. The Nazis attempted to destroy all European prints of this classic. However, a negative was found by American troops in Munich in 1945, from which the film was painstakingly
reconstructed. Some critics have compared this movie to Lewis Milestone’s All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), based on the book by Erich Maria Lamarque, which was also banned by the Nazis. La règle du jeu, which is about Europe’s decaying social and political structure and upper class French society at the outbreak of World War II, has been cited as one of the greatest films in the history of cinema. It was also a favourite of Orson Welles, who said he would like to take the film to the ark. La femme du Boulanger (1938) by Marcel Pagnol, chiefly known for the three episodes of the Marseilles trilogy, is a frothy film about the voluptuous wife of a baker in a village in Beaujolais, who ran off with a handsome shepherd. This spells disaster in the village and the baker goes into deep depression. No bread is forthcoming. The local squire and the priest galvanise the whole village into search parties and the woman is finally found. Pagnol was a firm believer that film is a performer’s medium, and thus he concentrated on dialogue and characterisation. Many of his films benefitted from location shooting. Clochemerle (1948) was the last film to be screened in the festival which, I believe, was included at my specific request. Unfortunately, due to some technical problem, it couldn’t be shown and another movie was screened instead. Directed by Pierre Chenal, Clochemerle is a delightful bawdy comedy based on the satirical novel by Gabriel Chevalier. The theme focuses on a proposal to erect a public urinal in the village square. This polarises the community, pitting the forces of progress and the forces of conservatism backed by the church against each other. There are some truly hilarious scenes which reminded me a little of the Don Camillo series set in a Po river valley town in Italy. The stories were written by Giovanni Guareschi, the Italian journalist, cartoonist and humourist.
In his forward to The Little World of Don Camillo (1953), he wrote, “The communists are after me. The fascists are after me. The church is after me. The government is after me. But I am determined to live… even if they kill me.” In the film version, Fernandel plays the Roman Catholic priest Don Camillo and Gino Cervi plays the communist mayor Peppone. The response to the screening of the films at the Alliance was not as positive as one had hoped. On the opening night, there were around 20 visitors, a third of whom were Pakistanis. But the attendance gradually dwindled with each successive screening, until there remained just four hard core devotees, two of whom were French, in the last film. It can perhaps be attributed to the security situation in the city and the late starting time. Another reason could be that tastes have changed considerably and audiences are less interested in the languor of camera work and metaphysical themes which tease the mind. They prefer plots where the action is fast and furious. It wasn’t always like that. In more normal and peaceful times, film festivals attracted considerable interest and people, who normally did not have the opportunity to see the best of Europe, the US and Japan, at least got to do so through films. In my opinion, however, European classic films, by and large, are not really relevant to Pakistan, except to the small tribe of Western-oriented cinema buffs who are fast becoming an endangered species. The art films that have recently emerged from Iran and India certainly are. Not only do they discuss common themes and problems, they also demonstrate that when it comes to brilliance, the West does not have a monopoly.
Anwer Mooraj is a columnist for the op-ed pages of The Express Tribune July 13-19 2014
37
TV
The gritty truth Addictive crime drama, True Detective, does not shy away from showing the world in its true colours BY KIFAH QASIM
The new HBO series, True Detective, comes as a breath of fresh air amid the onslaught of sappy romance dramas and constructed reality shows appearing on television these days. With just its first season out, the show has garnered massive critical acclaim for its philosophical approach to crime, drama and mystery. At the heart of it, the show goes right down to the ugly truth — the animalistic nature of humanity and the make-believe reality we live in. True Detective is set in the coastal area of South Louisiana where the protagonists, Rustin Cohle (Mathew McConaughey) and Martin Hart (Woody Harrelson), are homicide detectives for Louisiana’s Criminal Investigations Division. Cohle is depicted as a brilliant man in pain, who suffers from hallucinations induced by previous encounters with drugs. These hallucinations are showcased not as the workings of a deranged mind but as a cloud of consciousness where Cohle is perhaps seeing more than anyone else around him. Hart, on the other hand, is shown at first as an ordinary American man with a nice family, a house and a stable job. His character gradually unfolds to reveal a complex personality, where the lines between right and wrong often blur. The show begins in 2005, where both detectives are grilled over a case they investigated way back in 1995, when Cohle was transferred to Louisiana and partnered with Hart to chase down a ritualistic serial killer. Both lead actors are phenomenal in their roles, while writer Nic Pizzolatto and director Cary Joji Fukunaga do a fine job of penning and executing the flashback from the present to the past along with portraying the intensity and the inherent depravity of human nature with brilliant precision. The first half of the season focuses on the act of killing and its degeneracy rather than the killer, unlike most other criminal series which mainly revolve around the pursuit and apprehension of the murderer. The second half of the season focuses on the lives and ideologies of Hart and Cohle. On one hand, we have Hart who illustrates the contradictory nature of man; where morality comes into play only when it concerns others, but is overruled for oneself by the temptations of the mind, body and soul. On the other hand, we have Cohle who displays an existential, nihilistic approach to life. He sees each individual as devoid of meaning or purpose, with no innate value. The idea propagated by many shows that man is intrinsically good is completely disregarded here, instead it brings to the fore the darkness and mediocrity hidden within people. With brilliant use of Louisiana as the backdrop (especially the barren lands that depict the barrenness in humanity) and the accompanying soundtrack, True Detective is a show that needs to be on everyone’s watch list. Rating:
38
Kifah Qasim is a freelance writer. JULY 13-19 2014
Unusual connections How To Train Your Dragon 2 ramps up the action and emotional ties By Nisma ChaUhaN
Unexpected liaisons, such as those between humans and dragons, lead to fascinating outcomes. In the sequel to How To Train Your Dragon, DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox, in collaboration with writer/director Dean Deblois (famous for Lilo and Stitch), have done a commendable job illustrating the alliance between humans and dragons that will change both their futures forever. Set in the fantasy village of Berk, the movie fast forwards to five years after the Vikings and the dragons have mutually agreed to live in peace, and instead of poaching, which was the highlight of the first film, now challenge each other in a newfound sport — dragon races. “Dragons used to be a problem… now, they’ve moved in,” Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel), now a mature-looking 20-year-old, narrates to the audience. His strong belief in cooperation, coupled with the power to befriend these furious beasts, sets into motion the next chapter of this dragon adventure. With Night Fury, nicknamed Toothless, by his side once again, he is ready to conquer new terrain and stand up for what he firmly believes in. It is during one of these adventures that the pair stumbles upon a secret ice cave teeming with dragons and meet their main adversary — Drago (voiced by Djimon Hounsou), the mysterious Dragon Rider. And here begins the battle to once again regain peace in the village. In the midst of the fire-breathing fury, however, the movie nurtures strong relationships. The touching parent-child relationship emerges when Hiccup meets his presumably dead mother, Valka (voiced by Cate Blanchett). She has been living on the island that houses Drago’s 40 dragon army and plays her part in protecting and freeing the beasts July 13-19 2014
from Drago’s captivity — explaining the source of Hiccup’s love for dragons. While the movie elaborates on their bond, it suffers a little by shifting focus from the friendship between Hiccup and Toothless, which was primarily the reason behind the success of the first movie. Alongside Valka, Astrid (voiced by America Ferrera), reprises her role in the movie, this time as Hiccup’s girlfriend whose character helps lighten the mood with witty one-liners and timely puns. While the new characters and multiple subplots add a fresh dimension to the storyline, the movie seems too distracted at times. Meanwhile, Hiccup is also under increasing pressure from his father to assume his role as the new chieftain of the village, expanding his role of responsibilities even further. It is only when the main plot unfolds that the movie reverts to its original theme of loyalty and friendship between dragons and humans. And in the midst of the nail-biting action sequel, we see a glimmer of what made this movie truly special in the first place. Like most children’s fantasy films, the movie is complete with a moral note. Deblois, without coming across as preachy, forwards the message of acceptance and preservation, making it worth a watch. Overall, How To Train Your Dragon 2 ends up being a satisfactory watch with a few surprise elements that will cater to the likes of even mature audiences. Rating: Nisma Chauhan is pursuing a Bachelor in mass communications. She tweets @ChauhanNisma
BOOK
Mind games Haruki Murakami entangles the reader in his web of overlapping plots and a blurred perception of reality BY KARTHIK KERAMALU
Haruki Murakami is probably the only writer who can pull off a complex novel like The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. The English translation of the 1990 Japanese novel, which is perhaps Murakami’s most famous literary work to date, transports the reader to another world, as he transforms the mundane into the most intriguing. The novel starts off as a silly search for a cat named Noboru Wataya, humorously named after the protagonist Toru Okada’s brother-in-law. But it swiftly pans out into a web of mystery, personal drama and national history just a couple of minutes into the story. Toru Okada, a man unemployed by choice, has to go out looking for his missing cat while his wife, Kumiko, is out working. Okada does not suspect his wife of having an affair until one day when she goes out and never returns. Kumiko chooses to communicate through her brother, computers and letters, but not face-to-face or through phone calls. Okada, meanwhile, gets introduced to a multitude of characters, starting with the two strange sisters, Malta and Creta Kano, one of whom has the uncanny ability to locate missing things while the other is a prostitute who moves on to become a “prostitute of the mind” and has several imaginary intimate encounters with Okada. Then there is May Kasahara, a teenager who bathes naked in the moonlight, has lengthy conversations with Okada about death and other profound things. There are minor characters in the book, such as Nutmeg Akasaka and Cinnamon Akasaka, who serve as the metaphorical appetisers before a heavy meal. The war
stories narrated by Lieutenant Mamiya, a World War II veteran who lives with the horror of watching a man being skinned alive, encapsulate the entire picture of cruelty and suffering in a brief dialogue. In a state of trauma, the lieutenant jumps into a dry well and loses his ‘self’ forever, even though he is brought back to Japan after the war. Years later in Tokyo, Okada too climbs down a dry well to learn about himself and his life with Kumiko. He enters another world, farther away from the one he knows, and it’s hard to tell whether it’s a dream or a reality. But just as the lieutenant loses his ‘self’ in the dry well, Okada finds it. He understands the reality behind his wife’s disappearance and the hard-to-believe stuff around him. In the end, all the disparate elements of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle are finally brought to a close in what can best be described as trippy — not clearly happy or tragic. A passive reading of the book offers no pleasure, as reality and dreams quite often mix, and it takes a complete sensory indulgence to separate and understand them. Simply put, Murakami’s novel cannot be explained, it has to be experienced.
Karthik Keramalu is a freelance writer who is interested in literature and film.
Available at Liberty Books for Rs895
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Author Haruki Murakami JULY 13-19 2014
Planet Plethora Pluto may have been demoted as a planet. But astronomers have more than redeemed themselves by confirming — as of early March 2014 — close to 1,700 planets orbiting other stars. And the numbers will only keep on rising as the Milky Way is full of planets — perhaps as many as a hundred billion worlds. Going by those numbers, there may be roughly 500 planets in the galaxy for every person in Pakistan. A latest announcement by NASA confirms the detection of 715 new planets orbiting 305 stars. These planets have been detected by NASA’s Kepler space telescope using a technique called the Transit Method: if a planet comes in front of a star, then the light from the star will dim a little and there will be more than one dimming if there is more than one planet. This works, however, only for those systems that have an edge-on orientation from our perspective. Similarly, astronomers can also estimate the size of a planet by the level of dimming — a larger planet will result in a larger dimming. The significance of the recent announcement is that close to a hundred of these newly discovered worlds are comparable to Earth in size, and almost all of them are smaller than Neptune — one of the gaseous planets in our own solar system. And the reason why we care about finding planets that resemble the Earth is that those might be the worlds teeming with life. Indeed, four newly discovered planets orbit their stars at a distance where water can stay in liquid form. This distance is called Habitable Zone. In our own solar system, Earth is in
NASA's Kepler mission announces a planet bonanza BY SALMAN HAMEED DESIGN BY OMER ASIM
the middle of it, but Mars and Venus are, in some estimates, also at the edge of the habitable zone of the Sun. But even in the habitable zone, the worlds may still be fascinatingly strange. For example, Kepler 296f is one of the four new planets orbiting in the habitable zone of its star. The planet, however, is twice the size of the Earth. Our own solar system does not host any bodies of that size. For that reason we don’t know if Kepler 296f is a rocky planet like the Earth or a gaseous planet like Neptune. Furthermore, the host star of Kepler 296f contains only half the mass of our sun and thus is a bit cooler than our own host star. The only thing we can say with certainty about Kepler 296f is that it will be a strange world. But why should we care about worlds that are tens or hundreds of light years away? Apart from the satisfaction of basic curiosity that drives humans and our sciences, the discovery of new worlds brings us closer to answering one of the fundamental questions of humanity: are we alone in the universe? Given that there are more than a hundred trillion stars in the universe, the answer has to be ‘no’. But we don’t have any evidence yet. The discovery of planets around other stars brings this search for life one step closer. We don’t know if any of these 1,700 planets are inhabited. But considering the abundance of material in the universe that makes up life — carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen — and the tendency of life to thrive on Earth even in extreme hot and cold conditions, I would place my bet on several of these worlds to be inhabited by some forms of life. Life may be different — but life it will be! Salman Hameed is associate professor of integrated science and humanities at Hampshire College, Massachusetts, USA. He runs the blog Irtiqa at irtiqa-blog.com
400
+200%
600
+600%
800 +400%
Number of planets
Today (Kepler) Yesterday (all)
+2%
Sizes of known exoplanets
200
The histogram shows the number of planets by size for all known exoplanets. The blue bars on the histogram represent all the exoplanets known by size before the Kepler Planet Bonanza announcement on Feb 26, 2014. The gold bars on the histogram represent Kepler’s newly verified planets. IMAGE CREDIT: NASA AMES/W STENZEL
Earth Super size Earth size
Neptune size
Jupiter size & larger